Chapter

Polysaccharides from Capsosiphon fulvescens Stimulate the Growth of Gastrointestinal Cells

Hye-Jung Hwang, In-Hye Kim, and Taek-Jeong Nam1

Contents I. Introduction 180

II. Effects of Cf-PS on Proliferation of IEC-6 Cells 181

III. Effects of Cf-PS on Wnt Signaling Components 182

IV. Cf-PS Induces Activation of ERK1/2 in IEC-6 Cells 185

V. Conclusion 187 References 189

Abstract Capsosiphon fulvescens is a green alga that is abundant along the southwest coast of South Korea. Although it is consumed for its purported health-enhancing properties, particularly as a treatment for stomach disorders and hangovers, the health effects of dietary C. fulvescens remain unclear. Polysaccharides extracted from C. fulvescens (Cf-PS) are investigated for their effects on the proliferation of rat small intestinal epithelial IEC-6 cells. Cf-PS stimulated IEC-6 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Further, Cf-PS treatment induced the translocation of b-catenin, an effector of the Wnt signaling pathway, from the cytosol to the nucleus and increased the expression of cyclinD1 and c-myc. Cf-PS also induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation, which is activated by mitogenic and proliferative stimuli such as growth factors, but the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 was not enhanced. Therefore, this chapter discusses the effect of Cf-PS on the growth of gastrointestinal cells.

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